Lillie Todd - The Possibility of You and Me

The Possibility of You and Me

ISBN # 978-1-78651-763-0

Copyright Lillie Todd 2016

Cover Art by Posh Gosh Copyright June 2016

Edited by Shannon Combs

Finch Books

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the authors imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Finch Books.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Finch Books. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2016 by Finch Books, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

Finch Books is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU AND ME

Lillie Todd

Her whole world has been flipped upside down. Shes lostand only he can find her.

Lori Black had everything she could ever wantsecurity in social standing by being one of the most popular girls in school, a hot boyfriend, and a set path toward her future. But her brothers overdose flipped her world upside down and now nothing makes sense.

After spending a year away from home, Lori is ready to try to reclaim her old life. But a lot can happen in a year, and when Lori returns, she realizes she isnt the superficial girl she left behind and maybe she doesnt fit the space she used to.

Rejected by her old friends and struggling to deal at home, Lori is lost. And the only person capable of understanding her is the quiet boy, Archer, whom no one knows anything about.

It is Archer who brings Lori the possibility of being found.

Dedication

For T & A

Keep reading my darlings, and keep dreaming.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

7 for All Mankind: Seven For All Mankind

Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

Diet Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

Amex: American Express Marketing & Development Corp.

eBay: eBay Inc.

PacMan: Namco

Solo cup: Solo Cup Company

The Hitcher : HBO Pictures

Popsicle: Unilever Group

Spongebob : Viacom International, Inc.

Reeses Pieces: Hershey Foods Corporation

Band-Aid: Johnson & Johnson Corporation

True Romance : Morgan Creek Productions

Pulp Fiction : A Band Apart

Reservoir Dogs : Live Entertainment

Jaws : Universal Pictures

Friday the 13th : Georgetown Productions

Tupperware: Dart Industries Inc.

The Silence of the Lambs : Orion Pictures

The Grudge : Ghost House Pictures

Tylenol: Tylenol Company

Hallmark: Hallmark Licensing

Scooby Doo : Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.

Pepto: Procter & Gamble Company

The Shortcut : Happy Madison Productions

Petco: Shar-Wal Enterprises, Inc.

Hampton Inn: Hilton International Holding

Rio Bravo : Warner Bros.

Louis Vuitton: Louis Vuitton Malletier

iPod: Apple, Inc.

Chevy Aveo5: General Motors Corporation

From Dusk Till Dawn : Miramax; Al Jazeera Media Network

Goodwill: Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

Abercrombie: Abercrombie & Fitch Company Corporation

Prologue

The car honked and the whoops from my girlfriends pierced the previously quiet air. With a laugh, I waved goodbye and opened my front door. I could still hear them when it closed behind me, the engine revving and music blasting from the radio.

Anyone home? I called out. Mom?

When no answer came, I let out a sigh of relief and headed into the kitchen for a soda. Mom and Dad had been on me about getting my friends to tone it down when they dropped me off. They were enthusiasticso what? It beat the hell out of boring.

I headed to my bedroom to get changed and figure out what to wear later when the girls would come back to pick me up. Something cuteor something hot that my boyfriend would appreciate.

Out of habit, I sniffed the air. An empty house would usually have been too great a temptation for my brother, and the telltale smell of his weed would creep out from under his door.

But today I could smell nothing but the lemon bathroom cleaner Mom used. I let out a sigh of relief and pushed open my bedroom door. I kicked off the sandals that had been rubbing my little toes all day then flopped down on my bed. The pillow beneath my head crinkled, as if there were something on it. I lifted my head and rooted around, coming up a moment later with an envelope from the stationery set Grandma had given me at Christmas. Snore.

I ripped the envelope open and pulled out a handwritten note.

My heart began to thump as I read the words.

What is this? This cant No

My heart was in my throat as I vaulted off my bed and raced out of the room. I skidded on the rug in the hall and threw open his bedroom doorand stopped.

The world around me went silent.

After an age, I took one clumsy step forward and another until I reached the side of the bed.

I reached out to touch him.

He was cold.

Chapter One

Laughter filled the warm day. Shrieks of excitement echoed all around, adding to the cacophony coming from the parking lot and the front steps. Students flitted past me, paying no attention to the new kid who had a world of torment swirling inside.

First days suck.

Especially when youre the new kid.

Especially when youre only sort of the new kid.

Poised on the brink of my first day as a senior, I had returned to the school Id thought I would never see again. It had been a year since Id left and, while everything looked the same, I had changed irrevocably.

I guessed that was what came when your parents shipped you off because your face reminded them too much of your brothers, who had decided to party a smidge too hard and OD.

After Dereks funeral, none of us had been able to cope. My parents most of all, who had ignored his drug problem the entire time and therefore hadnt seen the disaster from a mile off. Their solution had been to send me to live with my grandma six hours away.

Being away from home and everything that reminded me of my brother wasdifferent. Somehow both easier and harder all at the same time.

It had been refreshing to be in a place where no one had known my history, no one had known what Id run away from. The kids at my new school had seen me only as a real new girl With them, Id had a clean slate. There, I had been able to breathe again. I hadnt been tied down with the superficial crap that came with who Id been before with my old friends.

But I missed my brother. I missed him in a way that I would never be whole again. He was one half of me and I wasnt sure who I was without him. We had walked different paths in life, were completely different people. In fact, as twins, we couldnt have been more different.

I had to wonder if Derek would even recognize me now. Once upon a time, we had been best friendshad camped together, had eaten smores together and had broken bones together. Who knew umbrellas didnt have the same effect as parachutes? But then along with growing up, wed grown apart. Id found my friends and clothes and accessoriesand Derek had found prescription medication.